Tony Awards Announced, Sutton Bolts for TV and More Theater News

We’ve been so busy with our anniversary that we haven’t done a news round-up in a while–so let’s hit the gas and catch up on the last week and a half of theatrical happenings.

Joel Grey & Sutton Foster. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The first Tony Awards of the year were announced already. And to think I didn’t have my speech and ball gown ready! The 2012 Excellence in Theatre Awards–given to individuals or organizations whose work is not eligible for traditional categories–will go to the Theatre Development Fund’s Open Doors Program, Artie Siccardi (longtime Production Supervisor) and Freddie Gershon, conceiver of MTI’s Broadway Jr. shows (edited versions of musicals for school groups to produce.) I’d give him another Tony if he can make a school group friendly American Idiot Jr.

Two Broadway leading ladies took their leave and headed to TV land…though one only temporarily. Sutton Foster played her last performance of Anything Goes on Sunday, off to film an ABC Family series Bunheads (I’ll be very, very curious to see how the box office for AG does without their marquee star; is the show star enough?) Other Desert Cities‘Stockard Channing bows out after tonight to film a TV pilot but will return to Broadway on April 6.

Producers announced a musical adaptation of classic college comedy Animal House is in the works. Methinks someone has been looking at The Book of Mormon grosses. “Gross” being the operative word.

Lincoln Center revealed that its upcoming season will include a revival of Odets’ Golden Boy and a new play by the hysterical Christopher Durang titled Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Chekhov in Bucks County! You just know someone is going to pine away for a trip to Moscow, Pennsylvania.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert already feels like a tripped out party so imagine what will happen next Tuesday, March 20 when they celebrate a year on Broadway and their 500,000th audience member? If you imagined cheerleaders in TimesSquare at 5pm and an onstage “surprise” for the lucky audience member, you’d be right.

Tony Awards Announced, Sutton Bolts for TV and More Theater News was last modified: March 13th, 2012 by tommizer